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Friday, October 23, 2009

Obesity in Sherburne County

A few weeks ago I received an email from the Sherburne County Public Health Department requesting my participation in a focus group regarding physical activity, nutrition and obesity in Sherburne County.

I learned that Sherburne County Public Health recently received a $604,000 Statewide Health Improvement Program grant to be used to implement community wellness strategies in regards to physical activity and nutrition.

The email stated that there would be four focus groups within the County. Each of the groups would consist of 10-12 people. Each group was to meet for 90 minutes.

Of course I accepted!

My focus group met last night. There were three other participants who had been contacted as I had been and there was a County Heath employee who was transcribing the meeting. Our forum moderator was a woman retired from the Minnesota Health Department who is now a consultant. Sherburne County contracted her to moderate these meetings. She did a great job leading our meeting and keeping us on task.

Our whole meeting related to obesity in Sherburne County. We were asked questions relating to our workplace, our neighborhoods, and our community. We were asked the percentage of those obese in our neighborhoods, our workplace our community. We were asked about our surroundings and access to activities. Health clubs, biking trails, gyms, lakes, etc. We were asked about healthy food options-how accessible are they? We were asked if coworkers size/diet/health affected their or our work. We spoke of our family habits, our meals, how income affects diet. Most of the time our discussion turned back to income and education. We discussed obesity topics for a full 90 minutes.

I was asked to think about changes that could change a community. I offered using Sherburne County employers as a drop off for CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). If the workforce didn’t have to drive to pick up their CSA portion (as I drive to Maple Grove and don’t mind it a bit) more people might participate. I also stated that if our local grocery store, Cobornes, would offer a $5 free fruit/vegetable for every $50 spent it might get some residents to actually try fruits and vegetables.

I kept thinking about the changes that have taken place relating to tobacco use. Who would have thought that you wouldn’t be able to smoke in bars/restaurants just a few years ago? We’ve come a long way.

At the end of the meeting I was asked if I would continue to meet and provide input for the Health Department. Of course I again accepted.

After all of the focus group information is compiled the report will go to the Statewide Health Improvement Program Leadership Team and it is their responsibility to implement strategies specific to Sherburne County Health and Wellness.

6 comments:

Julie,I think you will be a great asset to the county program. I live in one of the poorest counties in Iowa and have been leading a community fitness program for 25 years. (If you can pay a small fee for a class you do, but I do not keep any track of who pays and who does not, all money collected goes to rent and group fitness equipment) Classes average about 17 exercisers, I have had about 10 women that have been attending since the beginning. It is not just a fitness class it is a true support system. Last year our county hospital recieved a grant for health awareness. I was asked to help there. The Healthy Villages program is now in its 3rd "wave" with over 500 people participating in screenings, team work, and getting regular info on exercise and nutrition. (We have about 7000 people in our county) It has been a great program. One thing we did different was to give out Wellness Bucks (5$ cards to various county businesses) instead of the usual T-shirts or other gifts. Anything your county gets started will really make a difference and most importantly will have a trickle down effect to the Kids!Best of luck at Javelina!

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12 years ago in the haze of a hangover I read Oprah's Make The Connection. It changed my life. I lost the fat, I put down the booze, began eating in a healthy manner, began to walk, then run. Run On! I first began running marathons. Liked it so much I found some crazy ultra runners in MN who showed me the trail and ultramarathons. 39 marathons and 40+ ultra marathons later ( 15 100 mile ultramarathons in the past 5 years) I am sober, lean and happy. I am now inspiring others to run, as Oprah inspired me. Coaching beginning runners is a gift I like to give every day. It's not just about running..it's about all that comes with it: goal setting, empowerment, a belief in oneself, being true to oneself. 2007 brought 4 100 mile finishes, 2008 brought 4 100 mile finishes, a BQ and PR at TCM, a PR at the 100 mile trail distace at Javelina Jundred: 23:13. 2009 brought another PR at the 100 mile distance! Amazing. Lean Horse 100, a dream come true. What holds for 2010? WHO KNOWS?? NOT I! Wow. It's 2013 NOW!